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Worldbuilding is central to speculative fiction, but it’s also hard. Really hard. Experts in every field still debate how things in the real world work, so you can imagine how easy it is to make mistakes in a fictional world. I see such mistakes in a … read more »
Most writers rely on one or more beta readers to help them improve their work. In the right circumstances, beta reading is an invaluable tool. Unfortunately, it’s so full of potential pitfalls, it can weaken stories rather than improve them. Here’s what you should know … read more »
Criticism is the low point of many storytelling careers. It crushes our dreams and makes us feel like our darling creations have been torn apart. But no matter how much we dislike criticism, we need it more. How can we benefit from something that cuts us so deep? Read more »
Developmental editing is big-picture editing. Dev editors rarely look at grammar, punctuation, or even awkward sentence structure.* Instead, dev editors look at issues like plot structure, character consistency, and whether the climax fulfills all the promises the author made earlier in the story. While test readers … read more »
Getting feedback is always a perilous experience. This week the hosts share some of the experiences they’ve had over the years, from Oren learning that he included too much WWII fighter jargon in his story, to Mike’s plan for getting feedback on his campaign, to Chris making revision after revision so … read more »
Chris, Mike, and Oren discuss the difficulties that come with revising a story based on feedback. They compare different methods of analyzing drafts, and offer tips for receiving and incorporating feedback from readers. Read more »
Practically no one can sell a first draft, and frankly you shouldn’t try. First drafts do not represent your best work. They’re full of grammatical errors, plot holes, missing scenes, and all manner of other problems. So, how do you go from that to something people pay money to read? The answer is feedback. Read more »